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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cold — an illness
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stock — shares
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. swing — music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com